The Fasti for Sunday, 11 Ianuarius:ante diem III Idus Ianuarias [NP]CARMENTALIANotes: Carmentalia is the feast day of the goddess Carmenta, an ancient oracle who was deified by the Romans.Our SVR calendar on the Web site itself has lots to say about this day:* Carmentalia, festival of Carmenta, goddess of prophecy, attended by Porrima (Future) and Postuorta (Past). Women hold rites to benefit pregnant women and their children, especially with regard to their futures. No woman should do housework or accept their husband’s advances on this day.* Juturnalia, festival of Juturna, goddess of fountains.* Augustus closed the doors of the Temple of Janus on this day in 29 BCE to announce the Pax Romana.In amicitia et fide,

The Fasti for Monday, 12 Ianuarius:Pridie Idus Ianuarias [C]From the SVR calendar:* Sementivae Feriae, the festival of sowing, on a date set by the pontifices in accordance with the weather, and held again seven days later.Nova Roma will be observing the first part of the Feriae Sementivae on 7 Februarius this year; no word yet on the second half.

Hmmm. So today, January 11, 2762 AUC, is the ANNIVERSARY OF THE PAX ROMANA! That's a heck of an anniversary (and replete with its various moral and historical contradictions, like all good anniversaries)!

The Fasti for Tuesday, 13 Ianuarius:Idus Ianuariae [NP]Notes: Every Ides is sacred to Iuppiter (Idibus alba iovi grandior agna cadit). -Ovidius* Paganicae: like the Sementivae Feriae, but for country districts; on a date set by the praetor and held again seven days later.In fide,

The Fasti for Thursday, 15 Ianuarius:ante diem XVIII Kalendas Februarias [NP]CARMENTALIANotes:Carmentalia is celebrated twice in January, on the 11th and the 15th. The 11th is mainly Carmenta's day; the 15th also honors Carmentina (an aspect of Carmenta?). From the SVR calendar:Carmentina as goddess of charms; perform rites for protecting newborns. Three men acting as Intercidona (with an axhead), Picumnus (with a pestle), and Deverra (with a broom) rap at doors and windows around the outside of houses with infants. Women return to wifely duties, having suspended them on the 11th.The [fasti] List itself illuminates practices for the day:A noted feature of the cultus of Carmentis, and also of other rites begun by Numa, is the absence of any blood sacrifices. "It is proscribed by religious law to carry leather into the sanctuary lest by death the pure fires of the altar would be violated." ~ Ovid, Fasti 1.639; "In some sacred rites and holy sanctuaries we find the proscriptions: 'Let nothing made of leather be brought in,' therefore with this intent that nothing dead and no blood sacrifices would be admitted." ~ Terentius Varro, Lingua Latinae 7.84

On Friday, A.d.XVII of the Kalends of February (1/16/09), comes the festival of my favorite Roman Goddess, CONCORDIA ipsa:

Ante diem XVII Kal Feb C: Comitialis - Comitia yes; Courts yes.From the SVR Calendar: - Concordia, goddess of harmonious relations. Notandum: At Nova Roma, there is an Aedes Concordiae put up by the NR Sacerdos Concordiae, Cn. Cornelius Lentulus - who is also one of our esteemed dual citizens. The link is: http://novaroma.org/nr/Aedes_Concordiae_Populi_Novi_Romani_%28Nova_Roma%29Atque notandulum: Where was Concordia worshipped? Wikipedia gives these five historic temples or shrines: - The oldest Temple of Concord, built in 367 BC by Marcus Furius Camillus, stood on the Roman Forum. - [The other] temples and shrines in Rome dedicated to Concord were largely geographically related to the main temple, and included (in date order):- A bronze shrine (aedicula) of Concord erected by the aedile Gnaeus Flavius in 304 BC "in Graecostasi" and "in area Volcani" (placing it on the Graecostasis, close to the main temple of Concord). He vowed it in the hope of reconciling the nobility who had been outraged by his publication of the calendar, but the Senate would vote no money for its construction and this thus [it] had to be financed out of the fines of condemned usurers (Liv. IX.46; Plin. NH XXXIII.19; Jord. I.2.339). It must have been destroyed when the main temple was enlarged by Opimius in 121 B.C. - One built on the Arx (probably on the east side, overlook[ing] the main temple of Concord below). [The Arx here was the northern hump of the Capitoline Hill, where an arx or citadel had once stood. {Wikipedia}] It was probably vowed by the praetor Lucius Manlius in 218 BC after quelling a mutiny among his troops in Cisalpine Gaul (Liv. XXII.33.7; cf. XXVI.23.4), with building work commencing in 217 and dedication occurring on 5 February 216 (Liv. XXIII.21.7; Hemerol. Praen. ad Non. Feb., Concordiae in Arce;1 CIL I2 p233, 309; p138Fast. Ant. ap. NS 1921, 86, Concordiae in Capitolio; Hermes 1875, 288; Jord. I.2.112). - A temple to Concordia Nova, marking the end Julius Caesar had brought to civil war. It was voted by the Senate in 44 B.C. (Cass. Dio XLIV.4) but was possibly never built. - A temple built by Livia according to Ovid's Fastes VI.637‑638 ("te quoque magnifica, Concordia, dedicat aede Livia quam caro praestitit ipsa viro" - the only literary reference to this temple). The description of the Porticus Liviae follows immediately, and it is probable therefore that the temple was close to or within the Porticus, but the small rectangular structure marked on the Marble Plan (frg. 10) can hardly have been a temple deserving of the epithet "magnifica" (HJ 316).

For Sunday, 18 Ianuarius:ante diem XV Kalendas Februarias [C]From the SVR calendar:* Women’s festival in honor of Juno. Come, most chaste Queen of Heaven, appear in royal robes and nod your assent to the wine that is poured and the cakes piled high that await you. With you bring every herb for ending pain, and soothing songs to sing. (Tibullus IV.6.1 sqq.)And for Monday, the 19th:ante diem XIV Kalendas Februarias [C]* Sementiva Feriae, the second half of the sowing festival; on an unfixed date, set by the pontifices.

In another world, another time (not so lost if we don't want it to be), a more festive note:* Paganicae again; the second half of the sowing festival for country districts; on an unfixed date, set by the praetor.Nova Roma does not seem to have declared dates for the Paganicae this year. Their Fasti for AUC 2762 may be viewed on the Nova Roma Wiki: http://www.novaroma.org/nr/Fasti_MMDCCLXII .

Ante d. X Kalendas Februarias C: (1-23-09)[C] Comitalis: Comitia yes; Courts yes.- "If Jupiter were to hurl His thunderbolts as often as men were wicked, He soon would be disarmed." (Ovid, Tristia 2.1.33-34)

The Fasti for Sunday, 25 Ianuarius:ante diem VIII Kalendas Februarias [C]Per our SVR calendar, the celebration of the Earth continues:Paganalia - Pray to Tellus and Ceres for protection of seeds against birds.And Marius will dance, as he has been dancing of late, for the eventual and now likely reunification of Cub and family. >({|:`)

Ante diem VI Kal Feb C (1-27-09)[C] Comitialis: Comitia yes, Courts yes. - Feast of Bacchus. - Rededication of the Temple of Castor and Pollux, 6 CE. - Death of Nerva, 98 CE. [Eheu! For Nerva was one of the better Emperors. Still, his good planning gave the Empire a peaceful succession and as his successor, Traianus.]

Ante diem V Kal Feb C (1-28-09)[C] Comitialis: Comitia yes, Courts yes. - "Better and safer is a sure peace than a hope for victory; the former lies with you, the latter is in the hands of the Gods." (Livy 30.30)

Ita, things are looking much better for the Cub. DHS has a week to pull their collective heads out of their tailpipes and begin taking steps towards reuniting Darla with her birth family, and to help Soror any way she needs them to to make that happen. The "disposition hearing" isn't actually until 23 Feb, but the iudex made it abundantly clear that she expects things to be well in-progress by then.

The Fasti for Friday, 30 Ianuarius:ante diem III Kalendas Februarias [C]Notes:You may be wondering why we're two days away from the Kalends and yet the Roman calendar notes this to be the third day before the first of February. Roman day-numbering was inclusive: Today, tomorrow and the Kalends itself make "three days", whereas we moderns would only count today and tomorrow (the 30th and 31st). The same principle holds all year 'round; the nundina (Roman week) is eight days long by our reckoning, but is literally called a nine-day.

...Februarius, otoh, has got to be one of my favorite months in the whole Roman year. It's got the Parentalia, four days dedicated to our family lares and Ancestor-spirits; Caristia immediately afters, specially set aside for our dearest departed ones (re vera, the Romans knew the difference between "family" and "family you liked"!); and, of course, the infamous Lupercalia. What's not to love...? >({|:-)

Bene'st, let's get it off to a good start: The month is dedicated to Iuno, goddess of women and marriage.

Be present O Queen of the Heavenly Gods, we Your chaste daughters pray and bring forth this venerable gift, we, all the Roman women of noble name, have woven this mantle with our own hands, embroidered it for You with threads of gold. This veil You shall wear for now, O Juno, until we mothers grow less fearful for our sons. But if You will grant that we may repel these African storm clouds from our land, we shall set upon You a flashing crown of diverse gems set in gold. (Silius Italicus, Punica 7.78-85)

...Which She did, of course, which is why we are not the Societas Via Carthaginiensis. <g>Kalendae Februariae [N]Notes:Vindicat Ausonias Iunonis cura kalendas... (The Kalends of every month is sacred to Iuno.) -OvidiusFrom the SVR Calendar:Thunderous Jupiter Tonans, I pray that finally You may spare me. (Valerius Flaccus, Argonautica 4.474-5).* Temple of Juno Sospita of Lavinium (197 BCE), Queen of Heaven and Savior Mother. (We will be celebrating many aspects of Iuno this month.)* Temple of Vesta in the Forum (713 BCE).

The Fasti for Monday, 2 Februarius:ante diem IV Nonas Februarias [N]Dies AterNotes: The day after the Kalends, the Nones or the Ides is always ater, tha is, considered ill-omened or unlucky.From the (vastly informative!) SVR calendar:* Juno Februata (Juno in Her aspect of Purified and Purifying): Place roasted spelt and salt on doorsill.* Edictum Consularis de Institutionibus reaffirms SVR’s commitment to promote Roman Law, 2003 CE/AUC 2756."These are the Principles of Law: to live honestly, to harm no one, and to give each his due." (Gaius, De Institutiones Justiniani 1.2)